More than half of Amarilloans expected to return their census questionnaires early have done so, Census Bureau figures show.

The bureau set a goal of 68 percent completion prior to mid-April, when preparations begin for sending census workers out on the field count. That is 5 percentage points above the 1990 early returns.

As of Monday, 36 percent of Amarilloans had returned their forms, 3 percent better than Texas as a whole but 6 percentage points behind the national average.

For Canyon, the rate was 34 percent. Rural Randall County had a 39 percent response and rural Potter County 32 percent.

The number of residents who return their questionnaires directly affects the efforts that will be made by field workers, who will make up to three attempts in person and three telephone calls to obtain census information from those who do not reply, said Annie Young, head of the Amarillo office.

The Census Bureau will focus on April 1, the traditional census day, as a target date for receiving questionnaires, Young said. Two weeks later, the Census Bureau will begin preparations to begin the field survey.

The early response figures will be updated daily through April 11, with the final posting made on April 18.

The Census Bureau set a national target of 70 percent early response to the questionnaires, 5 percentage points ahead of the 1990 national count.

"A national response rate that reaches 70 percent would signal that the country has reversed its decades-long decline in civic participation," said Census Bureau Kenneth Prewitt in a prepared statement. "It is too early to know whether we can reach that goal or even match the 1990 response rate. By reporting the cumulative initial response rate every day, the Census Bureau invites the country to watch this story unfold."

Figures are posted on the Census Bureau Web site at www.census.gov under the filings for news releases. The postings reflect the rates as of the close of business, two days before.

A table that lists each state, city and county can be found by clicking first on the news release link, then on the March 27 entry announcing the initial posting of early census returns.